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Grub
Grub was the adopted name of an orphan boy adoptedHouse of Chains, Dramatis Personae by Captain Keneb from among the survivors of the Chain of Dogs. He was placed in Keneb's care by another survivor, Duiker, the Imperial Historian,House of Chains, Chapter 8, SFBC p.317 and raised by Keneb in the company of the Malaz 14th Army. He was a toddler with a tangled shock of blond hair and a deeply tanned, cherubic face.House of Chains, Chapter 8, US SFBC p.317 His face was often smeared with dirt.House of Chains, Chapter 22 Grub was unaccountably attuned to the mystical aspects of the world, though he had not been trained as a mage. In House of Chains Grub first appeared as a dire omen before Adjunct Tavore Paran and the 8th Legion in Aren as the Malaz 14th Army readied to march against the Army of the Whirlwind in Raraku. As the Adjunct reviewed her troops, the boy slipped the supervision of his nurse to stand in Tavore's footsteps carrying a human bone in his hand. The troops were shocked into silence.House of Chains, Chapter 8, US SFBC p.317-318 It was up to Fiddler and the other veterans to turn the omen to their advantage by making the bones a symbol of the army and a portion of their uniforms.House of Chains, Chapter 8, US SFBC p.318-320/341-342 By the time the army reached the Whirlwind encircling Raraku, Fist Gamet had decided to end his life for fatal mistakes made during an engagement against Leoman's desert warriors. Before he could walk into the Whirlwind's fury, he was unaccountably intercepted by Grub. The child told Gamet that he spent too much time thinking about things there was no point in thinking about. Then he said Keneb was looking for Gamet and went to tell his father he found him. When Keneb found Gamet soon after, Keneb told the Fist he had not seen the boy and had never heard him speak before.House of Chains, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.716-719 Gamet saw Grub again on the eve of the Battle of Raraku. The boy woke Nil and Nether to observe the spirits of the dead gathering on the battlefield. Then the boy told Gamet to join the cavalry forming on the battlefield's centre.House of Chains, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.799 After Gamet and the spirits of the dead attacked and destroyed the opposing Dogslayers, it was revealed that Gamet had died in his sleep back in camp.House of Chains, Chapter 26, US SFBC p.832 According to the Epigraph for Chapter 19 in House of Chains, Grub eventually became the First Sword of the Late Empire period. In The Bonehunters Sinn was frequently found accompanying him. He was also accompanied by the Hengese lap dog, Roach, and Wickan cattle-dog, Bent. Sinn, whom many assumed to be either mute or dumb, did speak to Grub, however, normally only when out of earshot of others. Adjunct Tavore Paran used Grub as a messenger to call impromptu staff meetings.The Bonehunters, Chapter 2, UK MMPB p.122 When Quick Ben spoke the boy's name he made a warding gesture and indicated to Fiddler that there was more to Grub than he appeared.The Bonehunters, Chapter 2, US SFBC p.102 A few days after the 14th Army had been resupplied with troops, Grub gave Keneb some of his cryptic answers, amongst them saying that 'she is our last hope' but not naming 'she'.The Bonehunters, Chapter 5, UK MMPB p.239/240 Keneb thought of Grub's comments as a 'disordered host of peculiar observations'. Amongst those observations, Grub seemed to hint at glory or maybe infamy to come for Temul, in whose company the boy was often found.The Bonehunters, Chapter 6, UK MMPB p.288 When Sinn managed to make a firebreak for the soldiers trapped in Y'Ghatan, Grub told the Adjunct exactly how many were coming through, even as they appeared in the distance.The Bonehunters, Chapter 8, UK MMPB p.389 After the fall of Y'Ghatan, Grub again gave Keneb cryptic clues, seemingly displaying knowledge of the soldiers tunneling beneath the city as well as other things to come.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, UK MMPB p.419 Grub told Keneb to delay the boarding of the ships by one day as otherwise they would all die two days after leaving the Sepik Island. Amongst other things, Grub also said that he found a bone whistle and would keep it for him who would want it back.The Bonehunters, Chapter 16, UK MMPB p.777/778 Keneb admitted to Tavore that he caused the delay on Grub's advice just as the survivors who tunneled their way out of Y'Ghatan arrived down the road.The Bonehunters, Chapter 16, UK MMPB p.815 Grub appeared towards the end, during the clash in Malaz City, to inform Lostara that she was needed.The Bonehunters, Chapter 22, UK MMPB p.1136/1137/ He led her to Pearl who was by then suffering a long drawn-out death, and persuaded her to kill him out of mercy, whilst at the same time, judiciously not telling her who killed Pearl, so that she would not seek revenge.The Bonehunters, Chapter 22, UK MMPB p.1159 Grub then led her to watch as the Eres'al left the body of the dead T'amber, telling Lostara that she must never tell Tavore about this and agreeing that this and the secret about Tavore's sister were the only ones which she had to keep. He then asked her to join the Bonehunters and help Tavore.The Bonehunters, Chapter 22, UK MMPB p.1160/1161 In Reaper's Gale (Information needed) In Dust of Dreams He and Sinn followed Bent and Roach into the dying Azath Tower in Letheras and disappeared into a Warren for a time, only to reappear at a crucial point in the battle between the K'Chain Nah'ruk and the K'Chain Che'Malle. Their intervention turned the battle in favour of the K'Chain Che'Malle. In The Crippled God Whilst riding with the K'Chain Che'Malle towards the Bonehunters, Grub asked Sinn to reach out with her mind to the Adjunct. Sinn told him that the barrier of the Otataral sword would not let 'them' in. This seemed to indicate that at this point Grub was able to use magic intentionally.The Crippled God, Chapter 3, UK HC p.72 He finally parted company with Sinn and ultimately took command of the Letherii troops in battle against the Kolansii. Notes and references Category:Males Category:Seven Cities natives Category:Bonehunters Category:Malazans